This week on Operation Sports Fact or Fiction our panel of staffers take on several controversial topics in the sports gaming world including whether Ohio State is an overrated joke in NCAA, if this is Madden's best year in recent memory and whether Head Coach 09 will be a pretender or not.  Be sure to read the staff's responses and give your own!

#1 Ohio State, at 99 overall, is overrated in NCAA Football 09.

Wil McCombs – Fact. Look, I'm a Big Ten guy. I'll defend the Big Ten to the end. But a 99 overall? This essentially means that they are the best team in the game (along with Georgia), and I think recent history proves otherwise. I think the high number of returning starters on both sides of the ball factored into the ranking, but OSU has proven that they are certainly NOT the best (a home loss to my Illini and a solid thumping in the BCS championship game, with essentially the same team this year). P.S. Notre Dame's 81 overall rating is also a joke. Take that, Domers.

Dave Branda: Fact. Personally I don't think there is such thing as a 99 overall team. Maybe I'm like one of those college professors who doesn't give out A+ grades, but to me a 99 overall team means you're almost perfect, and surely Ohio State, while having a great program, isn't almost perfect. I think Ohio State at say a 93 overall as the top team in the game would have felt right.

Will Soistman: Fact. Hell yes they are overrated. They are overrated every year in video game NCAA and real-life NCAA. This is a team that year in year out is a supposed "contender" for a national title, but the last two years especially have gotten THUMPED in the title game. Ohio State is a team that has a weak non-conference schedule and beats up on those teams really well. To have a 99 overall is a slap in the face to anyone who really deserves a top ranking, which I feel no one deserves in college football.

Noah Weber: Fact. First of all, I'm a Wolverine. I was born in Ann Arbor, raised in Ann Arbor, and now go to U of M myself. In all fairness, OSU has owned us the past few years, but they are by no means perfect. I expect them to lose to USC, as well as losing to either Wisconsin or Illinois, and of course, finally losing to Michigan again and restoring balance to the universe.

Matt Blumenthal: Fiction. Ohio State returns 9 starters on offense and 9 starters on defense from a team that won the Big Ten Championship and was the National Runner-Up. The Buckeyes are loaded with talent and experience, and their upperclassmen are among the best in the country at their positions. Despite that, they're still only ranked #3 in NCAA Football 09's Top 25, behind Georgia and Oklahoma. OSU accomplished more than those teams last year, so if anything, they're a little underrated.

Rob Fetter - Fact. OSU does win a lot of games each year, and they seem to continue to find themselves in the championship game frequently. A major part of that is because they play a watered down schedule. When OSU plays top ranked talent they don’t look overwhelmingly better or more gifted which I think a team ranked 99 overall should, so I’ll say fact they’re overrated.

 
Ohio State Overrated?  The OS Staff generally thinks so.

#2 Madden NFL 09 will be the best edition of Madden in at least 5 years.

Wil McCombs – Fiction. The last five years? No. Madden 05 & 06 for last-gen consoles will be looked on as superior, namely because they were the peak of the franchise for that generation, and because I don't believe 09 will fully reach the next-gen potential, especially without online franchise mode. That being said, 09 WILL be the best title in the past 3 years, and the best next-gen Madden to date.

Dave Branda: Fiction. I think Madden this year certainly has a lot of promise, and will almost certainly be the best next gen version of the game (almost by default). But as Wil said a few of those PS2/Xbox versions were pretty good. And based on their recent track record, it usually takes EA two years to implement brand new features right. With the sheer amount of new stuff in this title, some of it is going to need to be tweaked to in 2010 to have Madden make the leap.

Will Soistman: Fiction. I will say that it will be the best on the current generation of consoles. But the last generation of consoles had far superior Madden games than to what we have seen thus far on the current generation. Also, the game hasn't even been released yet, so it still COULD be the best we have ever seen. The way the game plays is a big factor in determining how great it can be.

Noah Weber: Fact. At least I hope so, anyways. I think the new art scheme looks fantastic, and it appears the game has taken its biggest leap graphically since arriving on the next gen. The new ballcarrier mechanics are really exciting as well, and some of the playbook additions like formation audibles have me really excited. If online leagues live up to expectations, this years Madden could restore a lot of faith in the franchise.

Matt Blumenthal: Fiction. There appears to be little doubt that Madden NFL 09 will be the finest edition of the series we've seen on this generation of consoles. However, the last couple versions on the previous generation had built on several years of decent gameplay. Madden NFL 09 looks to separate itself from the last three disappointing years, but it will probably need some tuning to truly surpass the final release on the X-Box.

Rob Fetter – Fact. Initially I was torn on which way to go. It is frustrating to me that in next gen versions of the game they still don't have some great features from X-Box and PS2 like in game saves and accelerated clock. The Madden team seems to have done a lot of work to improve the game in many areas for '09. How much it'll be improved? I'll have to wait until release to find out, but either way I'm not putting in Madden 05 to play instead of '09 so it must be a fact.

  
Madden is once again on the cusp of greatness this season.

#3 Head Coach 09 will be a complete flop.

Wil McCombs – Fiction. My experience with this title is at the very best, limited. However, the concept has obviously been successful enough dollar-wise to warrant the series to continue. Its tie-in with Madden 09 (created plays) will also keep it from being a complete flop. It's a niche product that will do well with us geekier of sports fans, who are the target market.

Dave Branda: Fiction. To me the playbook editor and its integration into Madden alone will push this game from the flop the last version was to having some decent sales. Plus a lot of folks will pickup the version of Madden and Head Coach together, probably boosting sales.

Will Soistman: Fiction. No way. My friend Joe and I played a lot of the first iteration as we coached the Rams to a Super Bowl victory one year. The game has so much potential to be great, and the way it is shaping up looks real promising. Some things that I love about it are the fact that they included expanded rosters for training camp, the fully interactive sidelines, and the way off-season is handled. This game makes me wish it was Madden when looking at previews.

Noah Weber: Fact. I have a really hard time believing there is much of a market for this game. I like the concept, but I'm sure most people agree with me in that they'd rather just play Madden. Besides, I buy two football games a year already; three would just be ridiculous.

Matt Blumenthal: Fiction. That they've continued to produce this series after the first version struggled two years ago tells me that EA Sports believes a market for this game exists. They should reach that market more easily this year by packaging the game with Madden. A good deal of people are excited about this game, and if it meets expectations, it should have people coming back for more in the future.

Rob Fetter – Fiction. Combining this game with Madden 09 for the anniversary pack is a great idea to help put it out there and get it in the hands of gamers. There is a niche for it in the library of die hard football fans, which is what the game is appealing to, true die hard, live for football, gamers. Obviously it’s not going to reach the same popularity level as NCAA Football or Madden, but I think it’ll do well enough to not be considered a flop.

 
Will Head Coach 09 be a flop like it's predecessor?  We will soon find out.

#4 NCAA Football needs to include the FCS teams next year

Wil McCombs – Fact. There is no debate about this. I'm not asking to include FCS full schedules and playoff structure, although that would be kind of cool, but for the sake of authenticity, NCAA must include FCS teams with at least quasi-accurate rosters next season. I never want to see NCAA FCS East on my dynasty schedule again. Ever.

Dave Branda: Fiction. I don't think this is something they NEED to do. It'd be a nice to have, but honestly the 117 teams they include every year is enough. With that said it would be nice to take my Northeastern Huskies, put them into the Big East and build them into a powerhouse. How's that for realism?

Will Soistman: Fact. There shouldn't really even be any debate anymore... With Michigan losing to App. State last year in what was "supposedly" one of the biggest upsets of all time really should have cemented FCS teams in NCAA videogames. Im guessing that the developers had a lot of priorities over FCS teams, but if we do not see them in next years version there had better be a real good explanation...

Noah Weber: Fiction. As a Michigan fan, the last thing I want to see is FCS teams Besides, there are a thousand things I would want to see EA add first.

Matt Blumenthal: Fact. Appalachian State proved to everyone last year that FCS teams can play with D1-A's best. The NCAA Football series included D1-AA teams on the last generation of consoles, and we've reached the point where all of those missing features need to make a return. I haven't had the opportunity to use my Villanova Wildcats in an NCAA Football game since I began college, and that time is long overdue.

Rob Fetter – Fiction. It would be nice for the hardcore NCAA guys, but for the general public it’s not a need. I think overall it’s better to have them continue to focus on gameplay. If they add this it takes development time away from somewhere else, other improvements are more important to me than making sure that Alcorn State is in the game and their playbook is right. If they do throw this in the game one day great, but honestly it won’t make a difference to me.